U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will speak at the University of Wyoming
Thursday, Oct. 25.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will speak to students and the public at the University of Wyoming Thursday, Oct. 25.
Scalia is scheduled to speak at 12:45 p.m. in the UW Fine Arts concert hall. He is expected to talk for about 30 minutes and then participate in a question-and-answer session. He then will sign copies of his new book, “Reading Law: the Interpretation of Legal Texts,” in the Fine Arts lobby.
Scalia comes to UW at the invitation of UW’s chapter of the Federalist Society.
UW College of Law student Caitlin Wallace, president of the chapter, extended the invitation over the summer. She received a letter from the justice in early September accepting the invitation to speak at UW.
“He has seen some of the best attorneys in the world, and some of the worst I’m sure. To be able to walk away from the event and have students say they learned what to do and what not to do from Justice Scalia, I think that will stick with them for the rest of their careers,” Wallace says. “While I’m sure Justice Scalia is asked this question a lot, what seems to me to be the burning question is what it’s like to sit on the highest court in the land and make decisions that affect not only the law but the citizens of the United States, as well as to be part of history.”
Organizers of Scalia’s appearance say they plan to set aside close to 350 seats in the 685-seat Fine Arts concert hall for UW law and selected undergraduate programs. Limited seating will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Live video of Scalia’s speech will be streamed to overflow rooms in the UW College of Law’s Brimmer Legal Education Center, as well.
Copies of the justice’s new book may be purchased before Oct. 25 at the UW Bookstore. Advance purchase is encouraged, and the book signing is open to the public.
Attendees must bring valid photo IDs. Bags, cell phones and other electronic devices will not be allowed.
Scalia, appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, is the longest-serving justice currently on the court. A native of New Jersey, he attended Georgetown University as an undergraduate and obtained his law degree from Harvard University. After working in private practice, serving in the Nixon and Ford administrations and teaching as a law professor, he was appointed in 1982 as a federal appeals court judge.
